In automatic call-distribution or ACD systems, contacts incoming to a contact center are answered and handled by a plurality of resources, such as agents. The ACD system automatically distributes and connects incoming contacts to whatever resources are suited to handle the contacts and available, that is, not handling other contacts at that moment. A contact can be effected by any communication medium, such as a trunk or telephone line, and wirelessly and by any mode, such as by telephone, email, Web server, and the Internet.
It often happens that contactors, while awaiting service by a resource, need to accomplish other tasks or perform other duties, such as answering an incoming call, going to the bathroom, attending to children, and the like. In conventional ACD systems, if the contactor is absent when the contact is handed off to a resource for service, the resource must decide whether to wait for the contactor to return or to service the next contact. Commonly, the contact is terminated by the resource due to heavy workload and/or uncertainty about what happened to the contactor. This can cause customer frustration and lost business.